Law as a career – an opportunity for high school students.
Students in high school are at a stage when they must consciously think of a career, even before they complete Plus 2 and college head. Besides student counseling to help decide which course to take in their under-graduation level, it helps if organizations, especially those running educational institutions, conduct seminars and discussions on career planning.
In this scenario, Bala Mandir Kamaraj Trust, which runs the Satyamurthi High School, organized the 8th Shri S. Govind Swaminadhan Legal Education Programme on November 9, 2024. Many students from the 10 and 11 classes attended the programme. The Late Sri. S. Govind Swaminadhan was a Trustee and President of Bala Mandir Kamaraj Trust. A brilliant Advocate highly respected in the legal fraternity for his integrity, ethics, and honesty, he served as the Advocate General of Tamil Nadu from 1969 to 1976.
Mr Justice N. Anand Venkatesh of the Madras High Court presided over the programme and eminent Lawyers from the legal fraternity addressed the students.
In his address, the Judge said that being a lawyer is not only a vocation but also a calling to serve society. Honesty and hard work will pay rich dividends. Despite him not being a bright student in school, he veered towards law because he had a liking for the subject. It makes you conduct yourself appropriately when you are in society. The profession will be so fulfilling when you contribute to society, he said.
N C Vishal, Advocate, Anand & Anand, Suhrith Parthasarathy, Advocate & Journalist, Charulatha Rajaji, Advocate, Lakshmikumaran & Sridharan Attorneys, N S Tanvi & A Yogeshwaran, both independent lawyers and Vinay Aravind, Advocate-turned-photographer/writer spoke of their law practices, highlighting important aspects of their education and profession for the benefit of students.
Under the umbrella subject of ‘Law as a Career’, the speakers addressed topics such as Law and Protection of the Environment; Law and Protection of Labour and Human Rights; Law and Journalism; Commercial Law and Taxation; Intellectual Property Law; Law and Other Things.
An interesting aspect was dual careers. Suhrith Parthasarathy felt that he could write authoritatively, while Vinay Arvind found his calling in photography and journalism after 6 years of practicing law.
Some others like Tanvi and Yogeshwaran found immense satisfaction as independent law practitioners since they could decide on what kind of cases to take and manage their time according to their convenience.
A common observation amongst all was that, a lawyer has to have the habit and interest to read. The more he reads, the better he will understand the law and be able to not only help his clients but also argue the case effectively in court.
After the individual talks by the 6 speakers, students were allowed to interact with each of them to discuss and find out what their interests and aptitudes were. Justice Anand Venkatesh spent considerable time participating in each of the group discussions. His interactions with the students were of great value to them.
The event ended with a report being presented by the speakers on their interactions and observations from the discussions with students.
